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Airport Hangers, Charter Schools Among Board Action Items

Contact: Jeff Murphy WARRENSBURG, MO (Nov. 18, 2010) – Construction of hangars that will support up to 30 aircraft at Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport was among items approved by the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors when it met Nov. 18. Also on the agenda was the renewal of two charter school sponsorship agreements, and an agreement to sponsor a new charter school in Kansas City.

In an effort to better serve community aviation and university aviation education needs, the board approved a $1,008,279 contract with Huey Construction, Fulton, for the design and construction of three 10-bay T-hangars at Skyhaven Airport. The hangers will house aircraft in the university’s training fleet. It will also provide 19 hanger spaces that can be rented by the public. Rental fees will provide an annual income for the airport and cover funds used from the debt reserve to help construct the facilities. Other funding sources include the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and College of Science and Technology and institutional contingency funds. Hangers are needed to help keep the UCM training fleet free of ice in winter months and possible wind damage that can occur when the aircraft are parked outside.

Improvements at the airport are essential to maintaining a quality aviation program on campus, and consistent with the institution’s long-term airport master plan. UCM is the only public four-year institution in Missouri that operates its own airport. The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AAB International) has accredited the Professional Pilot, Airport Management, and Flight Operations Management career program options offered in the Bachelor of Science degree aviation.

Board action regarding charter schools gives The Hope Center, a faith-based community service organization serving Kansas City’s east side neighborhoods, the opportunity to seek approval from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to move forward in establishing the Hope Leadership Academy. Pending DESE approval, UCM has agreed to sponsor the school for a 10-year period beginning
July 1, 2011.

Located at 2800 Linwood Blvd. in Kansas City, HLA plans to serve 60 high-risk students in grades kindergarten through second for its first year and add an additional grade level each year thereafter. HLA students will be recruited from low-income and educationally-challenged neighborhoods from the city’s east side, a location currently not served by a charter school. The school is proposing an educational program that includes individualized instruction, an extended school day and school year, tutoring and mentoring, as well as needed emotional-social support systems for students and the instructional team. Parent and community involvement are key components of the school design.

UCM currently sponsors nine charter schools in Kansas City. New charter agreements for two of these schools, Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Technology and Alta Vista Charter School, were approved for terms of 10 years. Both of them are effective July 1, 2011.

Now in its 11th year of operations, Banneker is a community-based school that serves high-risk students in grades Pre-K-8, with 92 percent of the student population ethnic minorities. Alta Vista is also in its 11th year, and works collaboratively with the Guadalupe Centers, Inc. to serve at-risk urban students in Hispanic communities.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a contract with Environmental Mechanical of Olathe, Kan., for the design and upgrade of the HVAC system in the Art Center and graphic design computer labs in the Grinstead Building. The total cost is $341,631. The work will help address heating/cooling deficiencies for the computer design labs and deficiencies in ventilation/exhaust systems in sculpture, welding and painting studios. The improvements also will allow the Department of Art and Design to meet National Association of Schools of Art and Design accreditation requirements.